Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 05 | Page 54

COUNTRY FOCUS: ITALY If telecoms wish to prevent cybersecurity attacks from occurring, they must develop a strategy which guarantees comprehensive protection of their networks and incorporates various security protection elements. Tullia Zanni, Head of Solutions Marketing at Italtel, gives us an insight into how this can be achieved. ///////////////// Cybersecurity: Dealing with data breaches and cyber masterminds A ccording to IDC, more than 1.5 billion people – roughly a quarter of the world’s population – will be affected by data breaches by 2020. As such, it is essential to provide solutions and services that protect data, critical infrastructures and can curb advanced threats. This means that if telecoms are to deliver the true value of the digital evolution, they must seriously consider a cybersecurity strategy which guarantees comprehensive protection of networks to act efficiently against the new security threats which are arising. Cybercrime As technology continues to evolve – with phenomena such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and smart technologies growing increasingly popular – a new level of connectivity among people and machines is being achieved. However, this has also brought forward a new form of cybercrime which is presenting challenges in addition to opportunities. 54 INTELLIGENTCIO As the newfound industrial evolution increases the digitalisation of processes and more innovative technologies are introduced to the market, the way information flows are being accessed is changing, resulting in critical infrastructures being exposed. Coupled with this, modern cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, leading to an increase in the frequency and scale of attacks. Hackers are now able to compromise systems, evade detection technologies and cause service interruption and destruction, in order to generate revenues from data leakage and cyber extortion. Fluctuating from Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) and Viruses to Ransomware attacks, these attacks can vary on motive and scale, making it even harder for organisations to prepare for them. In light of this, services and solutions must be developed to help businesses and public authorities to not only defend themselves and protect their assets in the wake of an www.intelligentcio.com